Mare Island News

While the December 2021 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News examines 'Great Ships' delivered this calendar  year, Edward Lundquist takes a look back into U.S. Navy history and America's first aircraft carrier —CV 1, the USS Langley.Most people think of USS Langley as America’s first aircraft carrier — CV 1. While that’s true, and being the first flattop in the fleet is an honorable distinction, Langley began life as a collier — USS Jupiter, which itself was a relatively new concept of delivering fuel to the afloat forces where they need it. Today, the U.S.

Bremerton, Wash. ferry operator Kitsap Transit said it has purchased the secondhand passenger vessel Solano for approximately $1 million from the San Francisco Bay Area Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA),The sale closed last Friday following approval by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The federal government has an interest in the 125-foot high-speed ferry that dates back to 2004, when the City of Vallejo, Calif., used a federal grant to buy the 320-passenger catamaran for $11,165,604 from Anacortes, Wash.

Vallejo, Calif. ship repair yard Mare Island Dry Dock has secured a $33,532,308 firm-fixed-price contract for a 150-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of U.S. Navy submarine tender ship USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). Work is expected to be complete by January 2021.The contract includes a base period and three options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $36,228,717. The Naval Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Va., is the contracting activity (N32205-18-C-4552).Commissioned in 1970, the 649-foot USS Emory S.

Moose Boats rises to the challenge of building its biggest vessel ever. That’s an important step forward for this growing California shipyard. Equally impressive is what’s inside that rapidly developing hull and why those features were chosen.The U.S. boatbuilding scene is a changing landscape of waterfront manufacturing that constantly evolves to meet the inevitable peaks and valleys of demand. Nowhere is that reality more apparent than at California-based Moose Boats. In October 2016, Lind Marine announced the acquisition of Moose Boats. That move was important because Lind Marine operated a 5-acre shipyard including a 430 foot dry-dock and 1,600 feet of linear pier on Mare Island in Vallejo, CA.

This West Coast boat builder stays busy creating high quality fireboats for a diverse set of demanding, multi-missioned first responders. For Moose customer satisfaction is the name of the game. This year, they’ve got that box checked.Vallejo,CA-based Moose Boats builds aluminum catamaran and monohull vessels designed to meet a variety of mission-specific applications for military, law enforcement, emergency response, firefighting and security patrol purposes. It’s been a busy year for Moose, who also recently laid the keel for a 75’ catamaran crew boat for Westar Marine Services in San Francisco. But, it is fireboats that this builder is known for. And, at present, it would not be an exaggeration to say that fireboats are ‘hot’ for Moose Boats.

San Francisco Bay boat designer and manufacturer Moose Boats said it has been awarded a contract to construct multiple 75-foot semi-displacement USCG Subchapter-T passenger catamarans for Westar Marine Services in San Francisco, Calif. The first vessel will commence production in the spring of 2017. The aluminum catamarans will be equipped with Twin Volvo D13 turbo diesel engines with Volvo IPS3 drives, achieving a service speed of 25 knots and exceptional close quarters maneuverability.

Lind Marine, a Petaluma, Calif. dredging contractor which provides tug and barge services throughout the San Francisco Bay area, has acquired Moose Boats, an aluminum commercial boat building company. Lind Marine currently operates a five-acre shipyard including a 430ft dry-dock and 1,600-ft of linear pier on Mare Island in Vallejo, Calif. Lind Marine’s strategic acquisition of Moose Boats will ensure continuity of vessel production for the well-established patrol boat’s brand as well as complement a vertically integrated business model which Lind Marine has developed over the past century.

1814 - A squadron from the schooner USS Carolina attacks and raids the base of the pirate Jean Lafitte, at Barataria, La., capturing six schooners and other small craft while the pirates flee the attack. 1823 - Samuel Southard becomes the seventh Secretary of the Navy, serving until March 3, 1829. During his tenure, he enlarges the Navy, improves administration, purchases land for the first Naval Hospitals, begins construction of the first Navy dry docks, undertakes surveying U.S. coastal waters and promotes exploration in the Pacific Ocean. 1854 - Mare Island, Calif. becomes the first permanent U.S. naval installation on the west coast, with Cmdr. David G. Farragut as its first base commander. 1922 - Cmdr.

Private partnerships, executed perfectly – that’s West Coast boatbuilding in today’s challenging business climates. P3 Partnerships: no, we’re not talking about infrastructure funding. But, in our P3 version, boatbuilding in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska is alive and well, because of it. Long-standing enterprises and relative newcomers are all experiencing an uptick in projects. Here, as part of our annual MN100 top company profiles, we take a look at how three organizations have either merged and/or partnered with complementary companies to expand skills…

Today in U.S. 1854 - Cdr. David G. Farragut takes possession of Mare Island, the first U.S. Navy Yard on the Pacific. 1922 - Cdr. Halsey Powell in USS Edsall became the senior officer directing the evacuation of 250,000 Greek refugees from Turkey after war between Greece and Turkey. 1940 - President Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft. 1958 - USS Grayback fires first operational launch of Regulus II surface to surface guided missile off Calif. coast; Missile carries first U.S. mail sent by guided missile.

The search for an Australian couple who went overboard Wednesday from the Carnival Spirit cruise ship has been called off, the Associated Press reported. The passengers, identified as Paul Rossington, 30, and Kristen Schroder, 26, went overboard in the waters off New South Wales, Australia. The couple was reported missing when the ship docked in Sydney on Thursday and have now been missing for more than two days. It was reported that railing over which the couple fell was two inches higher than industry safety regulations mandate…

From the Navy News Service:   1859 - The first Navy ship built on the West Coast of the United States, Saginaw, is launched at Mare Island, Calif. 1867 - The Navy Civil Engineering Corps is established. 1899 - An act of Congress creates the rank "Admiral of the Navy" for George Dewey. 1973 - Women begin pilot training in the Navy.   For more information about naval history, visit the Naval Historical Center Web site at www.history.navy.mil.

With the departure of the Sperry, the 26th obsolete vessel removed from Suisun Bay, the U.S. Maritime Administration has surpassed by six ships the number of obsolete vessels it agreed in 2009 to remove, Maritime Administrator David Matsuda announced today. The disposal schedule called for 20 ships to be permanently removed from the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet and a total of 25 ships to be cleaned in dry dock by September 30, 2011. “Two years ago we promised to get rid of the obsolete ships that posed a threat to the surrounding environment,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

1854 - CDR David G. Farragut takes possession of Mare Island, the first U.S. Navy Yard on the Pacific. 1922 - Commander Halsey Powell in USS Edsall became the senior officer directing the evacuation of 250,000 Greek refugees from Turkey after war between Greece and Turkey. 1940 - President Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft. 1958 - USS Grayback fires first operational launch of Regulus II surface to surface guided missile off CA coast; Missile carries first U.S. mail sent by guided missile. 1861 - Union landing party from USS Massachusetts takes possession of Ship Island south of New Orleans, LA. This was the headquarters for ADM David Farragut's Gulf Coast Blockading Squadron. 1926 - Navy brings relief aid to Miami, FL, after a severe hurricane.

While maritime activity showing renewed signs of life along the entire Pacific Coast, from Prince Rupert to San Diego, shipbuilding is becoming ever-more dependant on the US Navy and Jones Act ships, while ship-repair yards are focused on a broad spectrum of boats and ships. In California, some of that work has focused on re-powering harbor craft to meet the state’s stringent environmental regulations. Along the Columbia River, shipyards remain centered on meeting the on-going demand for ocean-going barges…

1854 - CDR David G. Farragut takes possession of Mare Island, the first U.S. Navy Yard on the Pacific. 1917 - Navy Department authorizes establishment of 16 Naval air stations abroad 1922 - Commander Halsey Powell in USS Edsall became the senior officer directing the evacuation of 250,000 Greek refugees from Turkey after war between Greece and Turkey. 1940 - President Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft. 1958 - USS Grayback fires first operational launch of Regulus II surface to surface guided missile off CA coast; Missile carries first U.S. mail sent by guided missile. 1966 - USS Oriskany helicopters rescue 44-men crew of British merchant ship August Moon near Hong Kong (Source: Navy News Service)

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration announced that it has awarded two contracts for a total of $3.1m to Allied Defense Recycling of Petaluma, Calif., to clean and recycle two Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet ships, the SS Solon Turman and the SS President. The two ships are scheduled to be towed from Suisun Bay to the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard facility in for recycling in December. “The Obama Administration is running full-speed ahead in its commitment to cleaning up the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. In October 2009, the Obama Administration called for expedited cleanup of the fleet site and improved protection of the unique marine environment and surrounding bayside communities…

The Bisso Doctrine takes its name from the 1955 U.S. Supreme Court case, Bisso v. Inland Waterways Corp., in which it was established in a majority opinion of the Court that exculpatory clauses in towing contracts are invalid as a matter of public policy. That decision has had serious impact on the United States towing industry, and has affected decisions on whether to make U.S. choice of law and forum applicable to towing contracts where there were other options. It nonetheless remains the law of the land.

On Friday, Feb. 18, at 10:00 a.m. PST, U.S. Maritime Administrator David Matsuda will join Congressman George Miller and state and local officials in a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the first ship recycling facility on the West Coast. Allied Defense Recycling is expecting to bring more than 100 jobs to the community. The new facility will increase overall domestic capacity for ship recycling and help expedite the cleanup of the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet. Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Administrator Matsuda will travel to Alameda where, at 4:00 p.m., he will present the Administrator’s Professional Ship Award to the captain and crew of the Cape Jacob for supporting sealift operations in the Far East and Middle East. When:           Friday, Feb. 10:00 a.m.

1859 - Launch of Saginaw at Mare Island, first Navy ship built on West Coast of U.S.   1867 - Birthday of Civil Engineer Corps.   1899 - Act of Congress creates the rank Admiral of the Navy for George Dewey.   1973 - Women begin pilot training to U.S. Navy.   (Source: Navy News Service)

854 - CDR David G. Farragut takes possession of Mare Island, the first U.S. Navy Yard on the Pacific. 1917 - Navy Department authorizes establishment of 16 Naval air stations abroad 1922 - Commander Halsey Powell in USS Edsall became the senior officer directing the evacuation of 250,000 Greek refugees from Turkey after war between Greece and Turkey. 1940 - President Roosevelt signs Selective Training and Service Act, the first peacetime draft. 1958 - USS Grayback fires first operational launch of Regulus II surface to surface guided missile off CA coast; Missile carries first U.S. mail sent by guided missile. 1966 - USS Oriskany helicopters rescue 44-men crew of British merchant ship August Moon near Hong Kong (Source: Navy News Service)

Commander, Submarine Forces Pacific Fleet (COMSUBPAC), Rear Adm. Douglas McAneny announced that a sunken vessel located in the Balabac Strait area of the Philippines is in fact the World War II submarine USS Flier (SS 250). “I am honored to announce that, with video evidence and information provided by a team from YAP Films and assistance from the Naval History and Heritage Command, USS Flier has been located,” said McAneny. USS Flier, a 1525-ton Gato class submarine built at Groton, Conn., was commissioned in mid-October 1943. She departed from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for her first war patrol in January 1944. While entering the harbor at Midway Island during a storm, she went aground and was seriously damaged.

1859 - Launch of Saginaw at Mare Island, first Navy ship built on West Coast of U.S. 1867 - Birthday of Civil Engineer Corps. 1899 - Act of Congress creates the rank Admiral of the Navy for George Dewey. 1973 - Women begin pilot training to U.S. Navy. (Source: Navy News Service)